Field
The present disclosure generally relates to optical connectors and, more particularly, optical connectors employing gradient-index lenses for optical communication as well as electrical contacts for transmitting electrical power and/or signals between coupled electronic devices.
Technical Background
Short-distance data links used for consumer electronics are reaching increasingly higher data rates, especially those used for video and data storage applications. At such high data rates, traditional copper cables have limited transmission distance and cable flexibility. For at least these reasons, optical fiber is emerging as an alternative to copper wire for accommodating the high data rates for the next generations of consumer electronics.
Unlike telecommunication applications that employ expensive, high-power edge-emitting lasers along with modulators, short-distance optical fiber links are based on low-cost, low-power, directly modulated light sources such as vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). To be viable for consumer electronics, the fiber optic interface connectors and assemblies used to couple light from the light source into an optical fiber in one direction and light traveling in another optical fiber onto the photodiode in the other direction need to be low-cost. This requirement drives the need for the design of fiber optic connectors to be simple to manufacture while having suitable performance.
Further, electronic devices are increasingly becoming smaller and smaller. This electronic device miniaturization further presents mechanical coupling and optical alignment challenges. Accordingly, there is an unresolved need for low-cost, small optical connectors with forgiving misalignment tolerances and limited moving parts between mated optical interfaces of optical connectors.